Why it is dangerous to Treat Malaria without seeing a Doctor

Malaria is a common sickness caused by bite from anopheles mosquito. Many Nigerians have cultivated the habit of treating themselves when certain sickness symptoms manifest in them. This is however a bad idea as many other health conditions similar to malaria might be the real problem of the sick patient. Malaria sometimes comes with signs like cold and catarrh, headache, tiredness, lips blisters and high temperature. 
Some diseases listed below share the same symptoms as Malaria.

KIDNEY FAILURE

Kidney failure arises when your kidneys are unable to filter waste products from the blood properly. Your kidneys also lose their ability to control the amount and distribution of water in the body, and the levels of salts and minerals like sodium, potassium and calcium.

HEART FAILURE

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood properly throughout the body. You don’t usually get any particular symptoms at first, but later you may experience shortness of breath and fatigue. Anyone can get heart failure, even young children. But, it is more common in older people especially those who eat a high-fat diet, smoke and have high blood pressure.

PNEUMONIA

If the small air sacs in your lungs become infected with bacteria, viruses, fungi or even parasites, you may develop pneumonia. Other symptoms of pneumonia include chest pain, chills, fever, shortness of breath. Antibiotics will only be effective for pneumonia that is caused by bacteria, it will NOT be effective for pneumonia caused by viruses, fungi or parasites.

HEPATITIS

Infection with Hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D or E can cause your liver to become inflamed. You can also get hepatitis if you drink alcohol excessively or through the use of certain drugs. You can get vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, but there are no vaccines available for the other strains.

GASTROENTERITIS

Gastroenteritis is also known as inflammation of the stomach. You get this mainly from an infection with viruses, bacteria or parasites, but drug abuse and toxins can also cause it. Common symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Drugs like antacids, antibiotics, and laxatives can also cause gastroenteritis.

There you have it! 5 other common conditions that have similar symptoms to malaria. If you keep getting malaria, chances are that you may not really have malaria. You probably have something else that has not been properly addressed.

DENGUE DISEASE

Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.

According to WebMD, Symptoms of Dengue Fever, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include Sudden, high fever, Severe headaches, Pain behind the eyes, Severe joint and muscle pain, Fatigue, Nausea, Vomiting, Skin rash, which also appears two to five days after the onset of fever, Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising) .

Sometimes, symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the flu or another viral infection. Younger children and people who have never had the infection before tend to have milder cases than older children and adults. However, serious problems can develop. These include dengue hemorrhagic fever, a rare complication characterized by high fever, damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever.

CHIKUNGUNYA DISEASE:

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.

Joint pain is often debilitating and can vary in duration.

The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue and zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common.

There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.

The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.

The disease mostly occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. However a major outbreak in 2015 affected several countries of the Region of the Americas.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted”, and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).

The Signs and symptoms of Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks. Hence the virus can cause acute, sub acute or chronic disease.

Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death. Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.

These diseases which have similar symptoms as Malaria can be easily mistaken for Malaria. It is important to Consult a physician or carry out a blood test to ascertain the exact sickness disturbing a patient.

Treating a These sickness with similar symptoms actually have different treatments. Some of them are actually deadlier than malaria and can kill the affected patient if the treatments necessary for cure are not administered immediately.

Some people even try using herbs to cure Malaria when they see these symptoms. This can worsen cases like Kidney disease as unnecessary accumulation of chemicals as such found in herbs can trigger an emergency need for dialysis in the patient. Carrying out medical tests is important part of Treatment as assumption should be strictly avoided.